


Home Safe

by Scribbles97



Series: Post Episode Ficlets [2]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Earthbreaker, Season 2 spoilers, Thunderbird Two Crashes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-24 01:01:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8349997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scribbles97/pseuds/Scribbles97
Summary: When Thunderbird Two crash lands back on Tracy Island, it's not as easy to walk away as you might expect.





	1. Chapter 1

Virgil sunk back in his seat as Thunderbird Two screeched to a halt, taking just a moment to breathe. Thunderbird Two had made it. He was down. 

Around him Thunderbird Two was still screaming, smoke filling the cabin as various alarms whined for his attention. He was still far from out of the woods. The foam had extinguished the external fires, but in the cabin he could still hear the crackling of flames. 

 

“V-Virgil!” Brains exclaimed over the alarms, “You  _ need  _ to get out of there!”

He opened his mouth to respond, but the words were replaced by a hacking cough from the acrid smoke that filled the air. Covering his face with his arm he went to stand, going to where he knew the on-board extinguisher was. He wasn’t going to abandon her, not when she’d made it that far. 

 

A hand blocked him as he reached for the handle of the extinguisher, blue-clad and ready. He frowned, Scott should have still been at the danger zone, he had been there just a moment ago. It wasn’t Scott though. A different voice spoke as his arm was pulled back from the extinguisher, a younger voice that was just as stern as Scott, “Come on Virg, we gotta get you out of here,” 

“No,” He went to pull back, refusing to leave her smoking on the runway.

“Virgil!” Gordon snapped, pulling him from his hazed thoughts, “You can’t do any more.” 

 

He looked around again, the console still sparking, the panelling fallen from the roof exposing the wiring, and his brother, suited up -- breathing apparatus and all -- ready for a rescue. 

 

Ready to rescue him. 

 

“Out.” Gordon repeated, leaving no room for argument, “Now.”

Another breath of smoke made Virgil wince as he choked on the acrid air. He knew there was no point in arguing as Gordon took his arm and guided him to the emergency hatch. 

 

It felt wrong to hurry away from his ship when she wasn’t an immediate danger. Something had Gordon worried though, Virgil could sense it as they headed towards the hangar. He could still smell the smoke around him, stinging his nose with every breath he took. It was acidic, and bitter, and not quite like anything he could ever describe. He doubted he’d ever forget that smell. 

 

“Here,” Gordon said, going to hand Virgil over to Grandma, “Take him to get some oxygen, it’s pretty black in there,”

As he eased Virgil off of his shoulder, his big brother turned, “No!”

“I’ll sort it Virg,” Gordon stopped him, “Thunderbird Two will be fine.”

Virgil’s shoulders sunk as Grandma rested a hand on his shoulder, “Come and sit down Virgil, Gordon will take care of your ship.”

He looked to her, desperate to get back and do  _ something _ . She wasn’t going to let him argue though, especially not as he leant forward to cough. 

 

A gentle hand guided him into the hangar entrance and encouraged him down onto a crate as MAX rolled over holding out a mask. He leant forward, covering his head with his hands as he rested his elbows on his knees. 

“Just take a minute,” Grandma murmured, resting her hand on his knee as she held out the mask. 

Virgil pushed the mask away with an unsteady hand, his shoulder pulling as he did, “I’m fine,”

 

Grandma raised an eyebrow, “Really? So that’s why you’re as pale as a ghost?” She took his hand that had brushed the mask away, “And shaking like a leaf.”

He managed to flash a smile before looking back down to the foam covered wreck, “I--” He could have said a hundred things, none of them quite summing up what he was feeling. 

“Let’s go and get you cleaned up,” Grandma told him, straightening out, “Then we can check in with Scott and Kayo.”

He went to nod, his neck pulling as he did. Reaching back, he rubbed the aching spot, whiplash no doubt. He stood, looking back to his ship once more before he was guided away. The final columns of smoke were finally fading into the sky above the island, the foam dissolving away. He could see Gordon climbing out of the emergency hatch and heading towards them, helmet in hand and a smile on his face. 

  
Thunderbird Two was safe. They were home safe.


	2. Chapter 2

At first he assumes it's Scott, come to offer him something more edible than Grandmas chicken pie to go with the pain killers. 

The hesitation makes him wonder if it's Brains, always so hesitant to enter someone else's space but just as worried about him as his brothers were. 

 

"Are you really asleep?"

The voice is one he least expected as he blinked wearily against the lamp. He swallowed, his throat still thick with smoke, "Gordo?"

“Hey!” The voice lights up as he bounds into the room, pausing before he eased down on the bed. 

 

Virgil sighs, wincing as he shifted himself up a fraction, his ribs protesting. He’d hardly seen Gordon since he’d dragged him from his ship. Between getting cleaned up and checked over, he’d hardly seen anyone that evening. After the debrief he’d vanished off to his room and nobody had disturbed him since. 

 

“Y’know,” Gordon murmurs as he curls into big brother's side, avoiding the black and blue of his shoulder and using his own arm for support instead, “We generally change out of our everyday clothes for sleeping,”

Virgil smiles briefly to him, “Yeah, was kinda a lot of effort though.”

Gordon’s face twists at his brother's pained smile, “Want to talk about it?”

 

He was going to shrug, but Gordon can see that he quickly changes his mind as he sighs, “What’s there to say? It was a rough landing,”

Gordon nods quickly, “I’ll say! you came down harder than a sack of potatoes,”

Virgil can’t help but laugh, wincing as he does so, “Is that really the best analogy you could come up with?” 

Gordons smile quickly fades as Virgil rubs his ribs, “Oh, your ribs, right, no laughing, okay.”

 

“I’ll feel it tomorrow,” Virgil murmurs, “Brains couldn’t make out a break on the x-ray, but I’ve done something to my wrist,” He holds up his wrist, examining it beneath the support Brains had insisted on him wearing. It didn’t feel broken, just bruised like the rest of him.

“Woah!” Gordon gasps out, reaching for Virgil’s hand, “Ouch!”

Virgil looks at his fingertips, blistering and red, he’d partly forgotten about the jagged burns that had ripped across his palms from the sparking console. There had been so much going on. 

 

Gordon realises his mistake as soon as Virgil looks at his fingers, he was meant to be distracting him, not making it worse. That wasn’t so easy when the image of Two belly flopping onto the runway was still engraved in his head. Unconsciously, he curls closer to his big brother, nestling into his side as best he can. 

“It’s Scott, ‘nd Alan, ‘nd my job to get in trouble,” He muttered, “You’re not allowed to!”

“I know,” Virgil sighs, tilting his head to rest his cheek against Gordon’s hair, “I’m okay though, you heard Brains, we’ll both make a full recovery.”

Gordon scoffs, “Sure, leaving me stranded here in the meantime! We can’t even fly out in Tracy One, some idiot took a gouge out of the runway you know.”

“It’s okay Gordo,” Virgil murmurs seeing the comment for what it really is,  _ You’re stuck with me so you’d better be alright _ . 

“I’m okay,” Virgil sighs again, stifling a yawn.

 

Gordon shifts against him, thinking about the alternatives as he rubs at his eyes, “Scott was right y’know, you should've done a water landing,”

“Weren’t gonna d-tch ‘er in--the--oce-n,” Virgil mutters, eyes finally resting closed, “She’s my ship, not gonna-leave--er--a-- wreck.” 

Gordon shakes his head, “Nah, I'd have bought her back piece by piece if I had to. Once we’d got you back, I’d have gone out and towed the mother ship back. We do need her after all, her and you bro...Bro?" He looks up, having expected some sort of remark in response to his comments. 

A soft snore is all he gets though and part of him is glad. He was only saying those things to cheer Virgil up, his ship could easily launch from the island and go anywhere he wanted. It was after all, giant, green, potato. 

It was his mothership though… and _maybe_ his second favourite. 


End file.
